ἀποπνίγω (G638) — Greek Lexicon

ἀποπνίγω

apopnígō

G638 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To choke, suffocate, or stifle by preventing normal respiration; primarily used of literal suffocation (as by water or severe crowding), but also in figurative senses to indicate restriction or suppression leading to inability to thrive or function.

Semantic Range

to choke physically (by water, pressure, or constriction), to suffocate, to stifle or suppress (preventing life or growth), to overwhelm to the point of being unable to function or develop

Root / Etymology

From ἀπό (away from, off) and πνίγω (to choke, strangle, suffocate). The compound form intensifies or makes explicit the sense of complete or thorough suffocation or stifling, often with the sense of 'to choke out.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The verb ἀποπνίγω appears rarely in Greek literature and is attested primarily in medical and metaphorical contexts by the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In the New Testament (Luke 8:7, 33; Mark 5:13), it describes literal suffocation or drowning (swine that are choked in water) and metaphorical stifling (as with plants choked by thorns in the parable of the sower). The Septuagint (LXX) does not use the term, and it is not common in earlier classical Greek. The verb emphasizes a total or overwhelming force that prevents natural development, whether by physical means (asphyxiation, water) or environmental constraint (overgrowth of thorns). English Bible translations often render the figurative sense as 'choke,' but the Greek covers both fatal and non-fatal forms of stifling. The literal sense is always present as an undercurrent in the figurative uses, highlighting the sense of being cut off from what is necessary for life or growth.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπό and πνίγω; to stifle (by drowning or overgrowth):--choke.

Root Family

ἀποπνίγω (apopnigō) — to choke, to suffocate, to stifle, to choke out

Root πνιγ- to choke, to suffocate, to stifle

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G638-02`	ἀπέπνιξαν	apepnixan	`V AOR ACT IND 3P PL`	choked	they choked out	choked	2
`G638-01`	ἀπεπνίγη	apepnige	`V AOR PASS IND 3P SG`	was drowned	was choked out	was choked out	1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G638-02`	Matthew 13:7	ἀπέπνιξαν	apepnixan	`V AOR ACT IND 3P PL`	choked	they choked out	choked out
`G638-02`	Luke 8:7	ἀπέπνιξαν	apepnixan	`V AOR ACT IND 3P PL`	choked	they choked out	choked
`G638-01`	Luke 8:33	ἀπεπνίγη	apepnige	`V AOR PASS IND 3P SG`	was drowned	was choked out	was choked out

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